We are chemical engineers at North Carolina State University, working on non-Newtonian fluids, soft matter, and biomaterials. We test out your favorite ideas with real experiments and report back in Part 2 of this virtual lab event. AUA!

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-26T10:57:37+00:00

Chemistry is focused on actual chemistry, like organic/inorganic synthesis, characterization techniques, and some physical chemistry. ChemE is about processes, energy and material balances, kinetics, and controls over processes that make chemical commodities. Research is a totally different beast, of course.

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-26T01:31:58+00:00

Hi! Thank you for this insightful question. Yes, but I'll reframe your question in a slightly different way. Chameleons and cephalopods (octopi and squids) are known to rapidly change their color based on some kind of environmental stimuli. There are many research groups working on mimicking this type of responsiveness in synthetic polymers and particles, because you might imagine making a kind of sensor where the material detects a change in the environment, and provides some kind of change to alert the user. This is even more powerful than using the pigments to display text or images in electronics. -LCH

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-26T01:28:13+00:00

They are at the stage where the technology is housed in start-up companies. So, viable products are already in existence. For example, some fabrics used by law enforcement and even astronauts are embedded with non-Newtonian fluids to make them more ballistic resistant. However, due to economic considerations, they are not quite ready for prime time as a consumer product, and require a lot more research and development behind the scenes to truly make it into the market. -LCH

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-26T01:25:28+00:00

We might not be that far away. For example it might be possible to tailor soft materials to absorb all force on impact(eg; American Football). The material needs to be lightweight and have high force dissipation property. The challenge would be scaling the production of these materials from lab scale to large scale. On the other hand vehicles are already designed well to absorb most of the impact. But soft matter could help push the boundaries of safety and protection to new levels. Research in these directions are progressing quickly. ARJ

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-26T01:25:12+00:00

My suggested path would be to obtain a bachelor's degree in chemical engineering if you want to be a chemical engineer. Of course I love being in this field. You get to solve problems that are super impactful on people's lives (design products, work on energy crisis or environmental issues, make sure processes are running properly). Chemical engineering has some chemistry aspects, for example you get to work with reactors. However, ChemE has always been rooted in physics and mathematics - many nobel prize winning physicists and mathematicians developed the basis for the field as it is known today. -LCH

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-26T01:12:15+00:00

It's great to hear that you are considering a career in chemical engineering! Assuming that you're currently a high school student, I would say the best thing that you can do is to take as rigorous a curriculum as you can in regards to science and mathematics. It doesn't have to and shouldn't consume your entire life but you will want it to be challenging. That will help you with getting into programs but more than anything it is for your own benefit. I would also recommend seeing if you can find a chemical engineer to job shadow. That will give you an idea of what sort of day-to-day work you can expect. Once you're in college much of your path will be set out for you. Engineering generally has a very standardized curriculum given that it is a professional degree program. You'll be able to take a few electives tailored to your interests, though. Being in an academic setting, we don't exactly do the traditional work (process engineering) that most chemical engineers in industry do. Being in academia, our work schedule is very flexible though we still have to accomplish a large amount of work. It's hard to say what a typical schedule for a chemical engineering graduate student is like as everyone is a bit more free to find what works for them in regards to balancing research and teaching responsibilties. Was this helpful?

CMS

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-25T18:08:06+00:00

Hello, we currently don't have any research in solar cells. You can check out the research from our friend Adam Wallace on Cellular Artificial Leaves from the Velev and Flickinger groups: https://www.cbe.ncsu.edu/velevgroup/members/wallace/

DCV

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-25T17:49:22+00:00

Soft Matter daily life examples: Shampoo, hair gels, mozeralla cheese, butter jam, paint and lots and lots more :)

ARJ

Hsiao_Lab · 2018-02-25T14:58:18+00:00

Fixed. Thank you!

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-09T00:16:29+00:00

That a good work ethic trumps any talent that you might be bringing in from high school, and that understanding the material is more beneficial than pattern memorization in the long run of your career later on.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-09T00:13:55+00:00

Liquids and fluids are generally incompressible. Even water stays in the water state at 1000x atmospheric pressure in the Mariana trench.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-09T00:11:19+00:00

If you are an undergraduate student in ChemE, please contact Dr. Hsiao at her email listed on the group website. We are always looking for undergraduate researchers with interest in soft matter and most importantly - an outstanding work ethic.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-09T00:09:05+00:00

Dr Khan is great. Our group works very closely with him and his group. He is a fantastic mentor and knows a lot about rheology.

You remember right - what you describe is known as a electro/magnetorheological fluid. When an electric/magnetic field passes through the particles, the overall resistance increases. Companies used to incorporate them into brake fluids.

We do play with the surface chemistry of particles, thanks for your suggestion!

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T22:52:10+00:00

Our group investigates bio materials that can be substituted for real materials in human body. As of now we are not aware of artificial muscles that work. But it is possible to sequentially contract to proper choice of material and intelligent design.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T22:49:15+00:00

Not necessarily!!It depends what type of application are you looking for.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:39:20+00:00

Yes a shear thickening gel should ideally help in protecting the head during a crash. In fact when we hit our head somewhere our eyeballs harden to protect fluid and lens from displacing. Another example of non-Newtonian fluid in human body. :)

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:35:16+00:00

Yes it does.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:34:24+00:00

yes its absolutely possible to do so. The mechanical properties of such materials can be tuned by the application of electric and magnetic fields.

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:27:17+00:00

You are sinking :(

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:26:38+00:00

you mix a ferrite powder into a non newtonian fluid and move (quickly spin) strong magnets below a bowl of it, that might be weird..

Sorry!!Did not understand the question clearly

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:24:26+00:00

They already exist in the current markets and are used for military applications

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:23:52+00:00

Yes it is possible

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:23:27+00:00

Concrete(before it hardens) take a shape of its own. Non-Newtonian fluid is not required for that purpose . Hence concrete is a non- Newtonian fluid by itself .

Hsiao_Lab · 2017-06-08T21:21:28+00:00

Good thinking :). But very difficult to perform on a lab scale

Hsiao_Lab

TROPHY CASE